History of DeFuniak Springs

Sam Story, Chief of the Euchee, invited Daniel D. Campbell and Nell McLennan to accompany him on a trip to Pensacola in spring 1818. These were the first of many Scottish-descended settlers who traveled to Florida from North and South Carolina. They settled beside Bruce Creek, naming the settlement Eucheeanna. In 1828, Eucheanna was named its seat of government for Walton County. In 1890, the title passed to DeFuniak Springs, the current seat of government.

Walton County contains Florida's highest point, a site close to Lakewood that rises 345 feet above sea level. DeFuniak Spring houses the oldest library in Florida still located in its first building, as well as the oldest Presbyterian Church in Florida, founded May 27, 1827. The first war monument honoring fallen Confederate soldiers from Walton County was originally located at the Presbyterian Church in Euchee Valley in Eucheeanna; in the late 19th century it was moved to the grounds of the county courthouse in DeFuniak Springs, where it still stands today.

Information provided by the Walton County Chamber of Commerce. You can contact them at: